Mud-guard for vehicle-wheels



No. 6|7,538. Patented Jan. l0, |899.

J. P. MURPHY.

MUD GUARD FUR VEHICLE WHEELS.

(Application led Oct. 18, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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JOHN P. MURPHY, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

MUD-GUARD FOR VEHICLE-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,538, dated January 10, 1899.

Application I'ilecl October 1B, 1897. Serial No. 656,375. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN P. MURPHY, of St. Paul, Ramseycounty, State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Mud- Guards for Wheel-Vehicles,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mudguards for wheel-vehicles, adapted more especially to street -railway electricmotor cars.

The object of my invention is to provide means for :catching all water, mud, snow, slush, and particles of dirt from the car-Wheels caused by their centrifugal action, thereby preventing burn-outs in the motors.

Much annoyance has heretofore been caused in street-railway motor-cars from the packing of snow in their wheel-boxes, thereby forcing them loose and allowing the snow to gather in under the seats, frequently tearing them loose and causing much damage to the cars.

A furtheriobject is to provide an ineXpensive and durable device to fulfil the requirements of the above and that may be readily applied to any of the different kinds and styles of vehicles and street-railway motortrucls.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of a car-wheel, showing a portion of the truck-frame with the wheel-box mounted thereon and my improved device fastened to the frame. Fig. 2 is an end view of the car- Wheel, showing the guard in position with its supports removed. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the guard,showing its members separated and its means for longitudinal adjustment; and

Fig. 4L is a detail view of a portion of one of the depending hangers.

A represents the car-wheel, mounted upon the truck B, with its axle 2 bearing in vthe journal-box 3 of the truck-frame Ll. j Mounted upon the car-frame in the usual mannerwith springs 6 is the carbody 7, having the wheelbox 8, surrounding the upper face of the wheel'A.

Upon the frame B are mounted, by means of bolts 27, the depending hangers 9 and lO, the guard-plate C being made up of the end sections 11 and l2, adjustably connected to the middle section 13 by means of bolts 14, passing through the longitudinal slots 15 of section 13 and bolt-holes 16 in sections and l2.

In order to give vertical adjustment to my device, I provide the vertical slots 17 in the shoe portion 1S of the depending hangers, which shoe portions are fastened,respectively, to the sections ll and l2 of the guard-plate C by means of the bolts 20, passing through slots 2l in the guard-plate C and slots 22 in the bottom portionQ-S of the shoes 18, which allows of adj ustability sidewise to the guardplate C. The guard-plate C is constructed with a slight slant toward the ground and away from the wheel, and around its outer edge are fastened, by rivets or other suitable means, the lcurtains 24, made of canvas or other suitable material, to a distance of about two inches from the ground, thus giving ample protection from any and all iiying particles thrown off of the Wheels or drawn up by eddy currents of air caused by the movement of the car. The edge of the guard-plate Q closest to the wheel is cut to conform to any irregularities or contours of the wheel and is preferably placed as close to the wheel as practicable, usually about one-eighth of an inch therefrom,l and is provided with a leather iiange 25, brushing against the wheel and fastened to the guard-plate C by rivets 26 or other suitable means, thus giving practically a dust and water proof protection to the motors from the wheels.

In the operation of my device all the water, mud, slush, snow, and dirt are caught upon the guard-plate C and prevented from flying upward into and around the Working parts of the car or into the wheel-box, thereby giving thorough protection thereto from the same.

1. In a device of the class described,awheel having al guard plate placed segmentally across its lower portion, with its edges conforming to the shape of the Wheel, and surroundingits exposed surfaces, thereby adapted to scrape foreign material from the same, and supported in position by .depending brackets, fastened to the framework of the car-truck.

2. In a device of the class described, a mudguard having a protecting-surface, adapted to scrape foreign material from the exposed` surfaces of the Wheel, and supported in posi= IOO 2 erases tion, cutting a lower circumferential are, of the periphery of the wheel, by means of depending brackets, fastened to a portion of the frame ofthe car-truck, substantially rigid with the wheel.

3. In a device of the class described, a mndguard formed with its surface face, slanting toward the ground, and its inner edge cut to conform to the surface of the wheel, a depending curtain fastened to the outer edge of said guard and the supporting-hangers fastened at their upper ends to the frame of the car-truck, and, at their lower ends to the mudguard, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a segmentallyconstructed guard-plate, adjustably supported, the supplemental means for catching mud, consisting of the curtain, supported from its outer edge, and the liange on its inner edge, and the supporting means, whereby said guard is held in adjusted position.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a sectional plate of adjustable dimensions, supported by means of depending arms, adjustably fastened thereto, said arms being connected to the framework of the truck, and fastened, at their lower ends, to the plate, and the supplemental means for protecting the motors from mud, Water, snow, &c., consisting of the depending curtain, fastened to the outer edges of the guard-plate, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of the guard-plate of adjustable dimensions, adjustably supported from the car-frame, by means of depending hangers; said guard-plate being adjustably secured thereto, at a slightly-inclined angle from the side of the car-wheel, and the supplemental means, consisting of the depending curtain, fastened to the outer edges of the guardplate, adapted,with the guard-plate, to catch mud, water, snow, die., and prevent same from coming in contact with the workin g parts of the vehicle.

v JOHN P. MURPHY. Vitnesses:

MARTIN H. ALBIN, F. S. BRADBURY. 

